Wednesday’s Girls Basketball: Vikings Take it to Tigers

Images from a non-league girls basketball game between Centralia and North Kitsap at Centralia High School on Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019.

Turnover Prone: Giveaways Cost Centralia in Tune Up Game

By Jordan Nailon
jnailon@chronline.com

It didn’t take long for things to get out of hand here Wednesday night. The hometown Tigers dropped a non-league girls basketball contest by a score of 50-31, but the initial returns were far worse by all optics.

Centralia coughed the ball up 11 times in the first quarter alone and saw the visiting Vikings of North Kitsap rush out to a 19-5 lead. When the Tigers scored just two points in the second quarter they wound up owners of an ugly 29-point deficit and a team-wide look of bewilderment.

Under siege and searching for hope, Centralia sat down for some soul searching during the intermission.

“We just talked about, once again, slowing down offensively because teams speed us up so much and we can’t play offensively fast. We’ve got to slow it down and work the ball, move it,” said Centralia coach Doug Ashmore. “You know, when we did get some shots we’d get them late in the shot clock and that’s what we’ve got to do because we don’t get very good looks all the time so we need to be efficient on the offensive end.”

That message gave the Tigers something tangible to focus on for the remainder of the game while North Kitsap rested most of their starters and sailed to victory. The Tigers managed to outscore the Vikings 24-14 in the second half in order to save face. However, it was the peripheral statistics like rebounding, and moreover, a lack of turnovers that helped Centralia claw back.

In the end though, the most telling stat was that North Kitsap hit 21 of 41 shots while Centralia knocked down just 10 of their 41 attempts.

In the first half the Viking’s stellar tandem of Raelee Moore and Noelani Barreith proved too much for the Tigers to tangle with. Both players filled up the stat column with points, rebounds, steals, and blocks as they kept Centralia scrambling. Moore finished with a tie for the game-high with 12 points while Barreith scored 11 points.

“It was just that they are two good athletes. When we were taking it to the hole I have not seen a girl swat people like those two were doing,” said Centralia coach Doug Ashmore. “They were tough. They played like guys and they were just incredible. They led them in that press and gave us fits.”

North Kitsap freshman guard Kamora McMillian added 10 points and had a hand in a pickpocket’s share of the Vikings swollen score of steals.

After halftime though, Centralia’s Carissa Kaut began to look for her shot. In the second half the junior shooting guard scored 10 points, including a pair of three-pointers, that helped give the Tiger’s offense some teeth. She also scored the only Centralia basket in the second quarter on her way to tie a game-high of 12 points.

“I was really proud because that’s what Kaut can do for us night in and night out scoring wise,” noted Ashmore. “She’s battling that ankle injury and finally tonight she felt like she was full strength. Moving forward to league hopefully we can see that every night from her.”

Danika Jensen grabbed a team-high five rebounds for Centralia and Kylie Sharp added seven points to the Tiger tally.

Centralia (2-8) will begin 2A Evergreen Conference play on Friday at Black Hills.

Beavers Knock Off Spartans

TENINO — Ashley Schow recorded a double-double to lead Tenino to a 41-22 win over Forks in a 1A Evergreen League girls basketball game here on Wednesday.

Ashley Schow scored 10 points to go along with 14 rebounds. Kaylee Schow led all scorers with 14 points and Rhian Mathis chipped in seven points.

Elliahna Kilmer scored 10 points to lead Forks.

The Tenino defense was stifling against the Spartans, with Forks making just nine of 35 shots from the field.

“I think they played very well. Our defensive rotations is something we’ve been focusing on and that really showed tonight so I’m proud of them for that,” Tenino coach Brandi Thomas said.

It was a low scoring first half, with Tenino leading just 8-3 after one quarter and expanding the advantage to 18-5 at halftime.